ASPEN, CO -- A longtime
Aspen resident who went missing for three nights was found Sunday, hungry
and dehydrated after getting lost in Aspen's backcountry.

The discovery followed days filled with anxiety for David Peterson's friends
and family, who launched a massive search effort.

"David has been recovered. He is home safe recovering with family
and will soon be 100 percent," his brother, Doug, who flew to Aspen
from Texas on Saturday, said in a statement.

Peterson's ordeal began Thursday evening when he took a spur-of-the-moment
bicycle ride and decided to spend some time in the wilderness by himself,
according to family members. He got turned around and ended up temporarily
disoriented in the remote wilderness of Richmond Ridge and Castle Creek
Valley. He spent three nights without food or adequate water supply or
gear, they said.

When Peterson, 46, failed to show up for work at a construction site Friday
morning, a missing-persons report was filed with the Aspen Police Department
and friends and family began combing Castle Creek Valley looking for signs
of an accident or any other clues that might lead them to Peterson.

On Saturday, Mountain Rescue-Aspen searched steep sections of Castle Creek
Valley as well as common trailheads, such as the ones at Sunnyside Trail
and Shadow Mountain, according to Pitkin County Sheriff's Office supervisor
Mario Strobl. Mountain Rescue resumed its search the next morning. It was
called off at noon, a short time after it was determined Peterson was safe.

Peterson had managed to reach a mountaintop that gave him a view of a road,
and he had to hike down into and up out of a steep canyon before reaching
Richmond Ridge and making it to the top of the Silver Queen Gondola, according
to his brother.

Once there, an Aspen Skiing Co. employee recognized him from a photograph
published in that day's newspaper and immediately notified authorities.

"When you hear about a missing-persons case in the news, it's usually
accompanied by the frustrations of family and friends on the lack of immediate
action by law enforcement," Doug Peterson said. "This is a testament
to the relationships that David has nurtured over the past 20 years and
further testament to the professionalism and dedication of Mountain Rescue,
the sheriff's department and Aspen police.

"We had a very serious situation on our hands, and everyone responded
way above and beyond in both professional and very personal ways,"
he said.

Word of Peterson's re-entry into civilization brought an abrupt end to
the flurry of e-mails, phone calls and extensive grassroots networking
that was under way after his friends and family grew concerned Friday.

"DAVE IS ALIVE!" beamed a Web site a friend of his from New Mexico
set up to try to gather information to help with the search. Located at
<http://www.carnicom.com/dave1.htm>www.carnicom.com/dave1.htm, the
site posted search updates, leads to his whereabouts, topographical maps
and several photos.

An Aspen Police Department press release said that Peterson was taken to
Aspen Valley Hospital for observation but that "he is healthy and
safe." His brother said he was released later that day after about
three hours of testing and replenishment of bodily fluids.

Peterson is employed at Aspen's nordic center in the winter and he works
around the valley as a carpenter in the summer. He is also an outdoor-education
instructor for the Aspen School District.